General Election: What The Major Parties Say About Cycling
On the 4th of July 2024, the UK will go to the polls to vote in a general election. The results of these votes will decide which candidates will represent their constituencies in the Houses of Commons as Members of Parliament (MPs). MPs can consider and propose new laws, raise issues of interest to their constituency in the House, and put questions to government ministers about current issues. The party with the most MPs gets to form a government.
As with any election, there’s so much going on and tons of information to digest that it can be hard to keep up. So, we’ve compiled a summary of all of the pledges made by all the major UK political parties in their manifestos relevant to cycling for some (hopefully) lighter reading. Don’t worry, you’ve got this…
How does the election work?
First, let's go over how the general election works so that everyone is on the same page. If you already know about this stuff, feel free to skip past this part.
People across the UK will have the opportunity to cast their vote on ballot day (4 July) for who they want their local MP to be. They will be instructed to put a single cross in a box next to their chosen candidate. You can't vote for more than one MP.
After the votes are counted, the MP with the most votes for their area will go on to represent their constituency in the Houses of Commons. The party leader with the most MPs will form a government, and the party with the second most MPs will form the opposition party. There will be 650 seats up for grabs.
A 'hung parliament’ is also a possibility. This happens when none of the parties gets a majority of the seats (at least 326 or more of the 650 available) in the Houses of Commons. In this situation, the party with the most MPs may join forces with another party and form a coalition government. Alternatively, they can choose to operate as a minority government, but this relies on the support of other parties to pass legislation.
How do I vote?
There are a few different ways that you can cast your vote (e.g., in person, by post, or using a proxy voter). The best resource for getting up to speed on how to register and cast your vote is the ‘How to vote’ guide on the GOV.UK website. You can find out what candidates are running in your area using WhoCanIVoteFor.co.uk if you want to research into them ahead of time.
Remember, the deadline for registering to vote is 11:59 pm on the 18 June, and you will need an accepted form of photo ID if voting in person. If you don’t have one of the accepted forms of photo ID, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. The deadline to apply for one is by 5 pm on 26 June. Students can also register for a free CitizenCard via the National Union of Students. You should not need to bring your poll card to the polling station to vote.
There are also deadlines for applying for a postal or proxy vote. You must apply for a postal vote by 5 pm on 19 June. To apply for a proxy vote, the deadline is 5 pm on the 26 June.
How do the parties compare on cycling?
First, a quick disclaimer: Bike Worcester is not a campaign group for any political party. This blog post is intended to inform, not to declare an allegiance to any of the parties mentioned. We won't tell you how to vote, but we'll try our best to keep you informed about your choices and how they relate to cycling. If we're missing anything, please get in contact and we'll correct this post.
We've provided a table below for quick reference
| Conservatives (10/30) |
Labour (8.5/30) |
Liberal Democrats (9/30) |
Green Party (16/30) |
Reform UK (-2.5/30) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad pledges of support | |||||
| Encourage active transport | Presumed - based on other policies | Yes | Yes | Presumed - based on other policies | Not mentioned |
| Make it safer for people to cycle | Yes | Yes | Presumed - based on other policies | Presumed - based on other policies | Not mentioned |
| Cycleways | |||||
| Maintain existing cycleways (2 points available) |
Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes (+1) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Build new cycleways (2 points available) |
Not specifically mentioned | Not specifically mentioned | Yes (+1) | Yes, £2.5 bn to build cycleways and footpaths a year (+2) | Not mentioned |
| Give councils the power to ban pavement parking (1 point available) |
Yes, in specific situations (+0.5) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Quantifiable targets | |||||
| Commitment to "50% of trips in England's towns and cities to be walked or cycled" (1 points available) |
Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes (+1) | Not mentioned |
| Access to nature within a 15-minute walk of a person's home (2 points available) |
Yes (+1) | No, although they say they want to improve access to nature. (+0.5) | Not mentioned | Yes (+1) | Not mentioned |
| Expand car-free access to National Parks (3 points available) |
Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes, with new cycling, walking, wheeling, and bus links (+2) | Not mentioned |
| Road safety | |||||
| Support for reduced speed limits (1 point available) |
Yes, in specific situations (+0.5) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes (+1) | Yes, in specific situations not specifically mentioned (+0.5) |
| Discourage the use of heavier vehicles in favour of alternatives (e.g., rail freight) (3 points available) |
Yes (+1) | Yes (+1) | Yes (+1) | Yes, make road tax proportional to vehicle weight and support firms to transition to rail freight (+2) | Not mentioned |
| Pledge to fix potholes (2 points available) |
Yes, £8.3 bn to fix potholes and resurface roads (+2) | Yes, one million potholes to be fixed across England in each year of the new parliament (+2) | Yes (+1) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Environment | |||||
| Support for ULEZ-like schemes (2 point available) |
No (-1) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | No (-1) |
| Commitment to phase out combustion engines in favour of EVs (2 point available) |
Yes, support the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate. No mention of the target year. (+1) | Yes, by 2030 (+2) | Yes, by 2030 (+2) | Yes, within a decade (+2) | No (-1) |
| Support for LTNs (2 point available) |
Yes, in specific situations (+0.5) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Yes (+1) | No (-1) |
| Work to discourage fly-tipping and/or littering (2 points available) |
Yes (+1) | Yes (+1) | Not mentioned | Not mentioned | Not mentioned |
| Work to improve flood response (3 points available) |
Yes, targeting homes, farms, and businesses (+1) | Yes, but no specific measures are mentioned (+1) | Yes, prevention using natural methods (+2) | Yes, prevention using natural methods (+2) | Not mentioned |
| Community project funding | |||||
| Support for schemes that MIGHT offer funding for cycle clubs (2 points available) |
Yes (+2) | Yes (+1) | Yes (+1) | Yes, invest £5 bn in community arts, sports, and culture (+2) | Not mentioned, only mentioned in the context of country sports |
Keep reading below for more detailed information on these pledges. It's important to note that something not being specifically mentioned in a manifesto doesn't mean it won't end up happening anyway; some things are intended to be assumed from context.
Conservatives
Link to the Conservatives Manifesto
The Conservatives will be campaigning to retain and gain seats to get re-elected as the party in power. They have been the party in power since May 2010.
In their manifesto, the Conservatives make a few pledges that could have an impact on cycling, including:
- A pledge to work with Active Travel England to “make it safer for people to walk or cycle, including projects like ensuring safe walking routes to schools and measures to protect pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users”. This sounds good, but it’s worth noting that they do not mention specific “measures” that they want to take. Maybe it is to be assumed that they will follow the recommendations from Active Travel England, but it doesn’t specifically say this. They go on to say that they will only go ahead with the new schemes where there is local support.
- They state they will “bring penalties for the rare instances where dangerous cyclists kill or injure into line with other road users.”
- There is a line about giving councils the power to ban pavement parking. This may prevent people from parking on shared pathways where pedestrians walk alongside cyclists. However, they say this is on the condition that local businesses and residents are consulted to ensure they aren't adversely affected. So, this policy might not have an affect in many places anyway if there is insufficient local support.
- They say they will “crack down on organised waste crime, especially those who impact protected nature sites.” They will deliver “enhanced penalties for fly tipping, giving councils new tools to help tackle offenders”. This is important for cyclists as waste crime and fly-tipping can lead to sharp objects being left on the ground, which can cause tyre punctures and other accidents.
- They state they will “extend the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for another three years”, “expand the Long-Term Plan for Towns”, “maintain the Community Ownership Fund for another three years”, and “continue the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme” which they say will “improve communities and support infrastructure as well as sports and cultural activities across the UK”. So, that could potentially benefit cycling clubs.
- There is a pledge for building flood resilience, but this is mainly mentioned in the context of protecting homes, farms, and businesses. There is no direct mention of prevention measures.
- They say they will support the growth of the freight sector. This could remove some heavy vehicles like trucks and lorries from the road if more companies choose to use rail freight instead.
- There is a pledge to spend £8.3 billion on filling potholes and resurface roads.
- A commitment to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate to phase out the production of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars.
Also of interest for some cyclists:
- There's mention that they will “set an ambitious commitment for everyone to have access to nature within 15 minutes’ walk of where they live”. They also acknowledge the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time outdoors.
- They will “designate their 11th National Park alongside investing to improve existing National Parks and protected landscapes”.
- “Use future rounds of their Landscape Recovery Scheme to support more local projects like the community-led schemes near Hadrian’s Wall.”
- “Continue to support programmes that encourage disadvantaged children and young people to access green spaces.”
- “Deliver on our commitments on National Trails including the Coast to Coast Path and the King Charles III England Coast Path.”
- “Continue to work with landowners, charities and others to open up more ‘access to nature’ routes.” However, they have ruled out imposing a universal Right to Roam.
In addition to the above pledges, there is also a section where they introduce a bill which they call the “Backing Drivers Bill” where they claim they will:
- “Stop road pricing” (by banning councils from introducing pay-per-mile schemes).
- “Reverse Labour's unfair ULEZ expansion in London”. They say the ULEZ scheme has only had a 'moderate' or 'minor' effect on pollution, but they don't state the source of this claim.
- “Rule out top-down blanket Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) and 20 mph zones”. They write that while they can be effective at improving safety in residential settings and outside schools, misuse undermines public trust and risks congestion and pollution. They want to introduce consultations with neighbourhoods about whether their area should be an LTN with a right to challenge areas that are already LTNs. The flaw in this logic is that cyclists and children don’t cease to exist outside of residential and school zones. If this pledge were implemented, the roads affected by the increased speed limit could become more dangerous for cyclists.
It's also worth noting that for many of these pledges they do not state how much they will budget to achieve them.
Labour
Surprisingly, active transport only gets a passing mention in the context of promoting it. They do mention that they plan to “maintain and renew our road network” to “ensure it serves drivers, cyclists, and other road users”, “remains safe”, and “tackles congestion”. They also pledge to fix 1 million potholes across England each year which should make road cycling safer. And that they will fund this by deferring the A27 bypass, which they believe is poor value for money. But outside of that, they don't mention any other changes they will make to the roads to improve cycling.
There is mention of improving flood resilience and preparation, but they don’t go into much detail here. In the interest of road safety, it's also nice to see that they want to promote and grow the role of rail freight. This could reduce the number of heavy trucks and lorries on the road which pose significant risks to cyclists. There is mention of an ICE car phase-out by 2030, which could improve air quality.
Of interest to some cyclists, they say that they want to improve access to nature. This may improve access to some cycle routes in natural settings. They don't say how they will achieve this, but it is a welcome addition.
Unfortunately, the manifesto does not mention specific measures they will take to promote and improve cycling and has not stated how much they plan to spend on these improvements.
However, it mentions getting children more active by “protecting time for physical education” and “supporting the role that grassroots clubs play in expanding access to sport.” So, this might include cycling clubs, which is a positive step.
Liberal Democrats
Link to the Liberal Democrats Manifesto
Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, has been photographed several times on the campaign trail riding a bike. But does that translate to pledges in the Liberal Democrat manifesto?
Like most of the other manifestos covered, they say they will encourage walking and cycling as part of their transport strategy, and they will do this by creating new cycling and walking networks with a new nationwide active travel strategy.
Regarding the roads, they say they will “give more of the roads budget to local councils to maintain existing roads, pavements and cycleways, including repairing potholes”. They also want to introduce measures to support the rail freight industry, which could reduce the number of trucks and lorries on the road. There is also a pledge to reduce the risk of flooding by “creating and restoring habitats like saltmarshes, mudflats and seagrass meadows”. Like Labour, they are seeking to phase out ICE cars by 2030, which could improve air quality.
Also of potential interest is their pledge to “boost participation in sports and physical activity by investing in leisure centres, swimming pools and other grassroots facilities and supporting community sports clubs”. This may include some cycle clubs.
In summary, they say they will encourage walking and cycling, and state one way they plan to do that. But, like the other manifestos we’ve reviewed, they haven’t stated how much money they will spend on it.
Green Party
Link to the Green Party Manifesto
The Green Party has a history of campaigning for environmental causes. So, with domestic transport making up most of the greenhouse gas emissions in the UK, you might expect something about active transportation in their manifesto.
And you wouldn't be wrong — the Green Party Manifesto mentions the word “cycle” in the context of cycling five times throughout. Unlike the other manifestos we’ve covered, they have also included budgetary figures to show how much they plan to spend on these pledges. Some sections even acknowledge specific benefits of walking and cycling, such as increased happiness and improved health. All very good signs so far.
The Green Party has estimated they will spend £6 billion on “active travel” in their manifesto. One of their standout pledges when it comes to cycling is to push for spending £2.5 billion into new cycleways and footpaths a year and to build those cycleways and footpaths using sustainable materials. They also state that they will ensure large-scale housing developments are always supported by new infrastructure, including new bus services and cycling and walking networks.
All new developments should be accompanied by the extra investment needed to enhance local services too, and so that residents don’t have to rely on cars to live a full life.
Quote from the Green Party Manifesto
There is also a pledge to “reimagine how we use streets in residential areas to reduce traffic and open them up for use by the community”. This is somewhat vague, but it sounds like a positive move for cycling and safety in neighbourhoods.
Finally, they also state they will adopt the Active Travel England objective of 50% of trips in England's towns and cities being walked, wheeled, or cycled by 2030.
When it comes to cars, the Green Party states they will push for “making road tax proportional to vehicle weight” and more support for firms using heavy goods vehicles to “transition away from internal combustion engines and make greater use of rail freight”. This would benefit cyclists because internal combustion engines have a negative impact on air quality, and heavier vehicles pose a greater risk in a collision. They will also push for 20 mph to be the default speed limit on roads in all built-up areas.
Also beneficial to some cyclists is the Green Parties “Access to Nature” policy, which states that Green MPs will campaign to ensure everybody lives within 15 minutes’ walking distance of nature-rich greenspace. They also say that they will ensure car-free access to National Parks with new cycling, walking, wheeling, and bus links. This pledge should improve access to green spaces for cyclists who cycle for leisure.
The manifesto mentions the protection of green spaces: “elected greens would seek to strengthen and prevent any rollback of existing protections of the Green Belt, National Landscapes and Sites of Special Scientific Interest”. A push for better flood defences using “nature-based solutions” is also mentioned. Floods can be hazardous for cycling as they tend to wash up objects that might cause punctures or crashes.
Reform UK
Link to the Reform UK Manifesto
I couldn't find any mention of biking, cycling, or active transportation in the Reform UK manifesto. There is, however, a subsection called "Stop the War on Drivers" where they say they will "legislate to ban ULEZ Clean Air Zones and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods". They also want to roll back legal requirements for manufacturers to sell electric cars. They do say they will keep reduced speed limits "where safety is critical", although they don't specifically state where that would be. Surely safety should be critical everywhere? Otherwise, outside of those zones, they say they will scrap 20 MPH zones.
Other parties
Unfortunately, we can't cover the policies of every party in the UK that will be on the ballot because this would require an enormous amount of research. So, if you're considering voting for a party not listed here, we'd encourage you to check out their manifesto to find out where they stand on cycling.
